Le Plateau des Glières

Being in France has had the effect of renewing my interest in history, art, literature (a sweeping statement, I know). After visiting Marseille, and laying eyes upon the Château d’If, the setting of much suffering in Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, I am suddenly fascinated by classics of French literature. In fact, I’m a quarter of the way into this epic of a novel, and absolutely can’t put it down. It’s astounding that now that my feet are planted solidly here, everything European has become much more fascinating than when I was sitting in a stuffy University classroom on the other side of the ocean. Not once during the course of my English degree did I have any desire to read more Dumas or Hugo (ignore the fact that they are French authors). Now I could veritably eat these books up. Napoleon no longer seems like some fanatic from the past walking into my present via a textbook, because now I’m treading on his turf and can follow his doomed path from Corsica to Paris to Elba and back again.  There is so much more room for the imagination when you are closer to the source of all of this history. 

This takes me to my visit to “Le Plateau des Glières”, a monument site to fighters who partook in “La Résistance”, an undercover operation against the German army during World War II.  Accompanied by Elena (one of the girls I live with), and her boyfriend Diego, we spent the day wandering through this historically rich terrain. In some ways, it was hard to imagine this now peaceful place as the grounds for any kind of fighting, never mind a war of the unprecedented scale of World War II.  There are constant reminders of the past in these parts that makes one thankful for the current state of peace; crosses and monuments that are tucked away in forests or perched at 2000m on the top of a mountain, that are at once terrifying and beautiful. 

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Le Plateau des Glières

Leave No Trace (Haute-Savoie style)

Monument

Self explanatory

Close-up of the monument

Texture

Monument against the landscape

The "go to" place in the alpage

The South (Part I)

I was lucky enough this past week to have a visitor from Canada – my cousin Jessica!  Our vacations coincided, resulting in a quick trip to Europe for Jess. We took the opportunity to travel to the South of France, where we were lucky enough to catch some of the last warm rays of sun before winter begins to settle in.  The trip was full of contrasts, but it was absolutely fantastic, and a nice change from the Alps (not that I’m complaining).

First stop: Marseille. A port city, and the oldest in France (dating back more than 2000 years), Marseille is a diamond in the rough. Although we were “warned” on the train not to stay in Marseille (the general opinion seems to be that it’s dirty and dangerous), we both enjoyed the city’s grittiness and energy.  The skyline is dominated by the imposing silhouette of Notre Dame de la Garde (a beautiful church perched on a hill), and the Château d’If, an ancient prison, haunts the shoreline from the island just off the coast.  On the night of our arrival, we indulged in bouillabaisse (a rich seafood soup) in one of the charming back alleys of the Vieux Port, and I couldn’t help but feel that we were walking on layer upon layer of history as we wove our way through town. So much so that I don’t think any amount of the local “Savon de Marseille” (beautiful soaps made from olive oil), could wash away the stories that are embedded in the city’s cobblestone.

Downtown Marseille

Jess with Notre Dame de la Garde in the background

Soap

Soap flakes

Savon de Marseille

Second stop: Cassis. Only about 30 min by train away from Marseille, the change of pace between life in Cassis and Marseille was tangible as soon as we stepped off of the train. Like Marseille, Cassis sits on the Mediterranean, but it’s a tiny town where the air smells of fresh ocean breeze, and the buzz of city life is lulled to more of a hum.  Our hostel was a little piece of paradise, and we extended our stay upon arrival because the atmosphere was so welcoming. The local attraction here was the Calanques, a National Park composed of beautiful secluded inlets surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. Although we picked what might be considered a miserable day for a hike, the rain brought with it the benefit of solitude, as we got to enjoy lunch on a completely secluded beach.

Empty wine bottles at a local farm

Peaceful boulevard

Jess being "French"

Delicious cheese!

Soaking in the scenery

Cassis

The richest hot chocolate we've ever tasted

Gabby - the hostel's puppy

Gabby being abandoned

Stormy Mediterranean

View of one of the Calanques

Boats docked in a Calanque

Surprising calm in the face of turmoil

Jess enjoying some sun

Our German friend enjoying his pancakes

The South (Part II)

Third stop: Aix-en-Provence. Known for being the home of none other than the painter Cézanne, it was hard not to be inspired walking the streets of this bourgeois town.  The streets were swarming with a largely younger crowd of University students. Wandering the side streets at night in search of a worthy restaurant, it was mildly reminiscent of “Midnight in Paris”; pockets of light and laughter would appear down unlikely allies, pulling us in (although unfortunately, Cézanne did not make an appearance).

Roasted chestnuts

Jamming in the street

Stamps at the local market

Classic!

Piles of mushrooms

Jess

Fourth stop: Lyon. The supposed culinary capital of France (I find this hard to believe because there seems to be good food everywhere), Lyon is what I would describe as clean, proper and precise compared to Aix. This being said, we were there for a scant 12 hours, so it’s hard to judge. From what I saw, it was beautiful, and merits a return visit for further exploration. The highlight was the grandiose nature of its architecture, and beautiful fountains.

Hôtel de Ville at night

Grenoble's Bastille

Work as a Language Assistant here has been frantic but fantastic so far. My main task is to work alongside English teachers to compliment their teaching programs and work one-on-one with smaller groups of students to work on their speaking and communicating skills.

About two weeks ago, myself and the 7 other Language Assistants I’m living with attended a workshop in the countryside just outside of Grenoble, a University city of about 500 000. Autrans, a quiet town in the mountains where the workshop was held, was contrasted sharply by the hustle and bustle of the city life in Grenoble.  Both places were beautiful, but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the city.

A quiet morning in the countryside

Elena and Fiona in Autrans

 

 

One of the main attractions for tourists visiting Grenoble is the “Bastille”. Not to be confused with its more famous counterpart in France, the Bastille of Grenoble is a fortress that sits on a mountain overlooking the city. A cable car runs from its base to the summit and its view, but there are also lovely paths that twist and turn up to the fortress, which give a peak into the complexity of the structure and its historical importance to the city.

The easy way up

A maze of arches and graffiti

Crows resting on the tram cables

One of the Bastille's tunnels

View of Grenoble

Doran

While the last couple of weeks have been dominated by mundane tasks (getting organized with work, setting up bank accounts, Social Security and Health Insurance), they have of course been punctuated by culinary adventures and outdoor pursuits!

This past week’s hike took place almost literally in the backyard of the school at which I teach in Sallanches. After a quick drive up the mountain to some local trails, myself and my friend Fiona (hailing from Scotland), were soon treading carefully on a bed of crisp fall leaves on our way to a refuge in an area called Doran. With only a few minor glitches, the weather here has been impeccable; the heat of summer is lingering, slowly being replaced by morning frosts and cool nights worthy of a cup of steaming cocoa. On our ascent, we were almost completely covered by the forest’s canopy, but would sometimes come across a turn in the switchback trail allowing for a gorgeous view of Mont Blanc and the Valley d’Arve below.

After a few hours of vigorous trekking, we reached our destination: a beautiful alpine meadow spotted with summer cottages, a refuge serving homemade food, and a small chapel built by the local Boy Scouts.  Setting up camp in front of a cottage that was boarded up in preparation of the coming winter, we were treated to a feast of wine, handmade sausages, and various French delicacies. It must be said that the French know how to hike, and they also know how to relax once the hiking is done. I, for one, would hesitate at the thought of packing a heavy bottle of wine into my daypack and lugging it up a mountain!

Here are some shots from our trek up the mountain:

Members of CAF Cluses

Seasonal cottages in the "alpage"

Another beautiful sunny day

Myself and Fiona with a view of Mont Blanc

Because my memory often fails me...

Local watering hole

Christian and Fiona 

 

 

 

 

Annecy and the Alps

I’ve been in France for less than week, and already, I have to say it: AMOUR. Now that the details of life have been sorted out (somewhere to live and transportation), it’s time to enjoy a croissant from a local boulangerie.  The list of people I’ve met here continues to grow at a worrying pace: Mélina, Anna, Margot, Helena, Deirdre, Fiona, Norah (assistants from Mexico, England, Paraguay, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Germany), Sophie, Claude (two wonderful English teachers who are supervising me), Harvé (the school’s all-around handy man who is trying heroically to fix our internet problem), Yann (the school’s plumber who loves swimming and took me to the local swim club, I’ll be pro before you know it)…and I could go on.

After being ping-ponged around (in my head more than anything), I’ve finally settled into a room at a school in Cluses, still a valley town but about 12km away from Sallanches. The slightly industrial feel the city has is a result of the precision machining plants that are scattered around town. Before such industries were brought into the region, farmers would find themselves unemployed during the winter seasons; Switzerland’s watch industry fueled the development of plants for making tiny parts for watch making in the valley, and the industry grew from there.  Interesting, no?

A highlight of the past week was visiting the beautiful town of Annecy, an hour’s voyage by train, as well as going on a hike with the Cluses chapter of le Club Alpin Français.  We were greeted warmly by this group of outdoors enthusiasts and were privy to some beautiful mountain views that included encounters with the local wildlife. 

Some views from Annecy and the local mountains: